Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises Streamline Disembarkation

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises guests who are eager to catch early flights home can take advantage of Express Departure, a new option that allows them to carry their own luggage off the ship rather than claim it in the terminal after disembarking.

“We know that our guests hate to end their cruise vacations, but when they do, they often need to disembark quickly. We created Express Departure as a way for them to do just that,” Juan Trescastro, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s vice president of Guest Port Services, said. “Many of our guests are early risers, and Express Departure is ideal for them,” Trescastro said.

To use Express Departure, guests who are able to carry their own luggage simply keep their luggage inside their stateroom the night before disembarkation day. The next morning, these guests can depart the ship between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. and proceed directly to their next destination. Express Departure is available on every Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises vessel, in ports throughout North and South America and Europe.

The lines also offer guests the option to pay for a service called Luggage Valet, which streamlines the seaport-to-airport process. Guests who participate can check their luggage and receive their airline boarding passes and baggage claim checks before leaving the ship. When they arrive at the airport, they can avoid check-in lines at the airport and proceed directly to the security checkpoint.

“Luggage Valet is ideal for guests who wish to simplify their transition from one of our ships to the airport,” Jayme Porkolab, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s director of Air Operations, Systems and Planning, said. “It’s also an easy way for guests who have a late flight to spend the day enjoying a land-based tour or shopping, with only the luggage they plan to carry onto the plane later.”

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises offer Luggage Valet in some of the lines’ busiest ports, including Los Angeles and San Diego, California; Miami, Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and Tampa, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Seattle, Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia. Participating airlines include American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Both lines also offer guests the ability to check in online before they sail. Guests can choose this option by visiting the lines’ websites and following simple steps for online check-in. This allows them to print a boarding pass, which grants them faster access to registration and boarding at the pier.